Teachers and leaders’ jobs at risk due to funding shortfalls and falling school rolls, school leaders’ union NAHT has found.

More than one in three leaders (35%) say either redundancies, a restructure, or both, have been consulted upon or discussed, the survey of more than 5,000 NAHT members has found.

When asked to identify the reasons, more than three quarters (78%) cited insufficient funding, while 56% said falling rolls were playing a part – with funding heavily linked to pupil numbers.

An overwhelming majority (92%) of all survey respondents said that school funding had worsened or greatly worsened in the last 12 months, up from 66% when NAHT asked the same question last year.

Of the 35% of its members fearing redundancies or restructures, 14% said there was already formal consultation about redundancies and/or a restructure at their school or multi-academy trust, 7% cited informal consultations, and 15% said there had been discussions about the possibility.

Of those leaders aware of consultations or discussions about redundancies or restructures, more than half (57%) indicated it was likely this would lead to increased responsibilities and therefore workload. Half (50%) reported possible cuts to leadership positions at their school, while six in ten (60)% said a recruitment freeze had been mooted.

Ahead of the Budget, NAHT is urging the Chancellor to provide immediate additional investment in schools, and ensure the commitments in the Schools White Paper, including SEND reform, are fully funded - with increased ‘high needs’ funding for pupils with the most complex needs.

The union wants the government to commit to a real-terms increase in overall core school funding over this parliament, ensuring it is not cut despite falling rolls in some areas.

And it wants to see a more ambitious plan for repairs and rebuilding to ensure that the whole school estate is safe, accessible, sustainable, and fit for purpose.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Schools are nothing without their dedicated workforce, but funding shortfalls are forcing many leaders to lose valued colleagues.

“While there have been welcome funding uplifts since the last general election, much of this has been swallowed up by increasing costs and demands.

“Schools will also need significantly more resources to effectively implement much-needed reforms to the SEND system and curriculum and assessment.”

As part of its We Demand Better campaign the union is urging ministers to start to the put that right.